Book micro project - Drawing crime noir for comics and graphic novels

Book Micro project

For this project we had to chose a book from the library, unrelated to the Contextual Practices subject and chose either a paragraph to talk about, or go through the whole book in a general way.

I have chosen Drawing Crime Noir for Comics and Graphic Novels.

I haven't looked into crime noir until now, as I have always considered myself as being a cartoon character artist, and I think I might have limited myself to drawing cute things, when there is such a big world to explore. So, this book was chosen in order to open myself to a new territory, a new way of drawing, and new way of setting the mood. I really like Film Noir movies, and exploring this style of drawing, will hopefully, help me develop as an artist. 

A really interesting thing this book has taught me, is that " Any book about the art of crime noir would be incomplete if it were only about the principles of drawing. Mood. Atmosphere. Style. they're what crime noir is all about...

... This genre focuses on the slick, rainswept streets of the city, shadowy figures, heartless women, men without conscience, reluctant heroes and boulevards of fear."  ( Introduction - Drawing crime noir for comics and graphic novels / Christopher Hart) 

In crime noir, characters have got certain aspect specific only to them.

Rugged cheekbones, deeply set eyes, a tight mouth and a square chin give this character a dramatic look.
(pg 10, Drawing crime noir for comics and graphic novels / Christopher Hart)

As I have already mentioned, in crime noir, the characters need to look strong, tough, serious. There is a big difference between comics characters and crime noir, and simple shading done the right way, the addition of small features, make a great difference and make this particular genre stand out. 

Here's a n example of how the same character from a normal comic book can be imported and transformed to achieve a crime noir one.

It is very obvious how in the first image, with very few additions ( sunglasses and cigarette), the transformation was done through mainly giving the character attitude. The stance was changed, to make her look in control, sunglasses add to the mysterious air surrounding her and by simply adding the dramatic shading, the artist has achieved a new, completely different, much stronger character.

The same simple transformation was done in the last image (bottom right image). The only props added were the sunglasses and the motorcycle helmet, but again, like in the first image, the attitude is entirely different. Instead of the easy going pose the character had, initially, he was given a strong, in control, stance, he was half covered in dark shading, making him this tough, mysterious, can-get-any-job-done kind of guy. 

All in all, I found this book really interesting and I have already used it for reference in one of my drawing projects. I find Christopher Hart, the author, really easy to understand, as the way he explains the different techniques  used, is very clear and he goes into enough detail, to make everyone understand why he has used certain features. 

I would definitely recommend this book to any character artist.

Gender in games and other media

Gender in Games

       Gender in games, as well as gender in any form of media is a very hot and controversial subject. It creates a lot of animosity between people of different opinions and it has been at the centre of many video game industry, as well as, political talks.

Ever since the late 18th century, when feminism was born, there have been many discussions and debates, about what Feminism means, what it should mean, and what can and should be done about it. There have been both men and women involved in this, even though, the name of it, Feminism, might suggest differently.

Feminism is described by the Oxford dictionary as: "the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

The issue of rights for women, first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late 18th century. In Britain it was not until the emergence of the suffragette movement in the late 19th century that there was significant political change. A ‘second wave’ of feminism arose in the 1960s, with an emphasis on unity and sisterhood; seminal figures included Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer"

(http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/feminism?q=feminism)

The subject I have set up to discuss today, is gender issues in games and I feel quite strongly, that if there were no references towards women being under-represented in this form of media, I would have no subject to talk about. So, in order to base my comments on real data, I have set up to find some statistics regarding the number of male vs female video game players.

However, instead of finding demographic data, I have come across a very interesting article about an experiment done at Stanford University School of Medicine By Allan Reiss and his colleagues on the different way a man's brain reacts and creates a pseudo-addiction to the conquering, territorial based videogames, in comparison to women's brains.

Reiss said this research also suggests that males have neural circuitry that makes them more liable than women to feel rewarded by a computer game with a territorial component and then more motivated to continue game-playing behavior. Based on this, he said, it makes sense that males are more prone to getting hooked on video games than females.

“Most of the computer games that are really popular with males are territory- and aggression-type games,” he pointed out.

(http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/february/videobrain.html)


Here's a link to the entire article as well, as I found it quite interesting.Stanford University School of Medicine experiment

So, in other words, men's brains respond slightly different to games, compared to women's ones. This is just a matter of fact, it is how the brain works. I am in total agreement with women having equal rights to men, however, I think it is probably time to recognise the fact that men and women are different and should act upon it as well. This is, by no means to suggest, that women are inferior and should not be allocated certain roles in media, and by media, I am referring to videogames, as well as, movies and other forms of related forms of mass communication. These are all very powerful means and extremely capable of influencing and changing mentalities... And this makes me ask a very big question: Why is Gender and issue in videogames???

Along the years, there have been many movies where the protagonist was a female, and not just any females, but truly strong, extremely influencing characters.
I can mention a few:

• The Alien series, who gave us Ellen Ripley - the woman who is a survivor, warrior, saint and mother all in one." Carolyn Petit, editor of GamespotUK, said, in the article titled: Fear of a woman Warrior (Feb 22 2013), that: " Any reasonable understanding and appreciation of what made Aliens a great film acknowledges the important role of women in it." (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/fear-of-a-woman-warrior-6404142/). And this is very true. Ellen Ripley is just the superlative of any team leader, she is, as a "genderless" human being, what anyone can dream of becoming, when aspiring to lead a mission, she is a role model for both male and female audiences.

• The Terminator series, created Sarah Connor - "the legend of Earth's post-apocalyptic future. " (http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-100-greatest-female-characters/sarah-connor). Sarah Connor is a strong female, perfectly capable of looking after herself and fending off any type of enemy, both humanoid and robotic.

• Another very famous, strong character was Mrs Robinson from the 1967 film The Graduate. She " doesn't so much seduce Benjamin Braddock as bend him to her will."  said Filmsite.org's Tim Dirks. (http://movies.amctv.com/movie-guide/50-greatest-female-movie-characters.php).

• Strong female characters have had a presence even in fairy tales, and I have to mention Belle here, from Beauty and the Beast. She is the one that changes everything, she has taken her life in her own hands, has decided to exchange her freedom for her dad's safety and in the end, she is the one that "makes everything better", as because of her, the Beast manages to break the spell, and thanks to her, everyone in the castle is back to their normal happy selves.

• Closer to nowadays, we have Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, from the movie with the same name, an air stewardess who ends up getting involved in drug trafficking, only to become the ultimate winner/survivor of a big ploy to bring the whole network down.

• And I shouldn't forget to mention, probably the most influential videogame/movie female character: Toby Guard's Lara Croft, from the game Tomb Raider. The game was created in 1995 by UK developer Core Design , and since then, Lara Croft was awarded a Guiness World Record for the "most successful human video game heroine" (Guy Cocker (2006-04-07). "Lara Croft earns Guinness World Record". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-08-30.)

So, all these mentioned, I don't think there should be such a big issue with female characters in video games. It is clear that there have been some benchmark ones created, that people enjoyed and still do, after even nearly half a century (Mrs Robinson - The Graduate-1967). I know one of the biggest and most debated subject, is, why, in most games, female roles are limited to damsels in distress, or weak secondary characters. I think, that it would be impossible for male and female to have the same level of importance when it comes to the roles they play in games, as it is the case with everyday life.


My intention here, is not to go against the feminists, but to bring a little reality into this subject. Ever since life started, there were men and women and they all had different roles. Both were just as important, as each other, as without either of them, life wouldn't have carried on, societies wouldn't have formed and evolved into what we know them to be today.  Recently, I have noticed quite a few instances, in which men were being objectified, and this, I'm guessing, just to show that this is a possibility. I don't believe this is the way equality between genders should be manifested, and because this is displayed on national television, which is an extremely influential media, large groups of people will think it is ok to behave that way. Why do we not stop all this and start respecting each other and show that women are as strong as men when it comes to character as well.

Many industry articles mention the fact that the main reason for not creating female protagonists in video games is because the majority of players are male and the games wouldn't sell. Chris Perna, art director at Epic Games, told OXM, "If you look at what sells, it's tough to justify [a female Gears of War protagonist]." (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/fear-of-a-woman-warrior-6404142/). So, an economic strategic decision, was taken by this big video game company, one might think. However, Entertainment Software Association has made a study on 1200 American households in 2011 and came up with this result: "Forty-two percent of all players are women and women over 18 years of age are one of the industry's fastest growing demographics." (ESA. "Game Player Data".)

So, the previous two statements are very conflicting, and we could ask ourselves: did Epic Games not do any market research? Do they not take into account market research? ...
The answer lays in my first reference article - the study done at Stanford University: male audience get more addicted to videogames, they are the ones that create repeat custom, they are basically the ones buying the majority of videogames, with or without female protagonists. I haven't yet heard, of any male video gamer who didn't enjoy playing as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, because she was a female main character...

As a conclusion, I would say that gender issues in video games, are such a controversial subject, only because it is made to be, not because it is a genuine problem. Games are meant to be a way of escaping reality for a short while, a way of fulfilling each individual's idea of Utopia, so if some guys like to play FPS games and shoot everything they encounter, they should be free to do it. Other might want to explore and expand their brains by solving puzzles which life doesn't always throw at them, so they should have the freedom to solve any sort of puzzles in games, as ridiculous or or interesting as the mass audience might think they are. Others on the other hand, might like to explore new worlds, and try new things, things that might be tabu in our society, or things that are unreachable to them in real life. That's why games were invented, as a means for escapism, and they should be able to cater for every single need. I think the most vehement critics might be surprised when talking to video game players, to find out that the biggest feminists play games where they chose an avatar looking as ideal as a woman can look, which I personally find it to be very hypocritical. But then again, there will alway be controversies, and to be honest, without these controversies, the gaming industry would probably not have the place it has today. 

Rhonda Farr once said: "Publicity, darling. Just publicity. Any kind is better than none at all." ([1933 R. Chandler in Black Mask Dec. 26]

Ideology

Ideology

In this session we have discussed a really interesting topic - Ideology.

The presentation started off with a very clever quote:
"You're not the boss of me. I'm the boss of me. I act on my opinions. My opinions are natural. Aren't they?"...

And this is where ideologies start having an impact on everyone, on the way we behave, on the way we think and act, and even, and probably, most importantly, the way we REACT! And I'm saying this, because I believe, that the way a person reacts, as an action he or she takes, in response to something,  has a very short thinking time applied to it in most cases, which means that the decision of how to react, is based most likely, on one's ideology. I am basing this statement on the definition of ideology given by the Oxford Dictionary as " the set of beliefs characteristic of a social group or individuals".
            http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ideology?q=ideology

From this, we can draw a pretty simple conclusion in relation to ideologies, and we can easily say that they embody the way we have been brought up, they are a set of moral values influenced by the environment.

However, as much as ideologies can be inherited involuntarily, through simple unquestioned upbringing, (nd by this I am referring simply to the fact that most people do not question their family ideologies, but accept them as being the right and only way to behave and think), some ideologies, can be implemented through various systems or methods for imposing a certain way of being/thinking.

My statement might seem a little twisted and difficult to understand, but basically, I believe, that while we are brought up with certain beliefs, we can pretty easily convert to different ones, by simply changing the environment, or changing the rules we have to follow.

The best example for this, is Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon.

The Panopticon is the model of a prison designed by Jeremy Bentham during the late eighteenth century. The word "Panopticon" comes from "Pan", which means all, and the Greek "Opticon", which means view.

Oxford dictionary defines the Panopticon as "a circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed."

The panoptic prison is basically designed with an opaque central tower in its center, around which, are aligned transparent cells. The central tower can see into each individual cell, but nobody can know if there is actually anybody inside the opaque watchtower, therefore the mode of observation is permanent.

The french philosopher Michel Foucault suggested in his book, Discipline and Punish (1995), that the inmates end up to self regulate in the Panopticon.

Panopticon - elevation and section drawn by  Willey Reveley - 1791

http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/06/20/surveillance-from-the-clouds-to-the-fog/

This way, a forced development of the superego is applied, in the sense that, a part of the brain is being kept in check at all times and will develop, for the fear of being seen. So, the prisoners will develop a new sense of morality, a new ideology and a new way of thinking. After a while, the fake "good behavior" becomes normal, and the old ideology is completely forgotten. Human nature is fantastic from this point of view, because people, as thinking mechanisms, are extremely adaptable and in a constant search for acceptance. So, if by changing ideology and ultimately, behavior, they are praised, accepted and included in certain groups (societies), they will continue believing and acting on those ideologies, therefore, becoming their second nature. It is commonly known that behaviour and actions repeated, become habit.

People in general, do tend to behave differently when they are being observed, as conscientiousness is not a human being's forte. So, based on this idea, I guess, the United Kingdom have installed 20% of the the world CCTV cameras, even though the country's population only adds up to 1% of the world population... And the number of CCTV cameras is expected to double by 2018...
But, on the plus side,  "Rates of murder and violent crime have fallen more rapidly in the UK in the past decade than many other countries in Western Europe", according to the BBC News bulletin from the 24th of April 2013 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22275280), so it might all be for the best.

Leaving behind the imposed ideologies discussed in the previous paragraph, we can say that an ideology is a set of social values, beliefs, feelings, representations and institutions by which people, collectively, make sense of the world they live in.
However, all these, are influenced heavily by a few factors, and one of the most important ones, these days, is the media, which plays a vital role in communicating and reinforcing DOMINANT ideologies.
As I have mentioned before, ideologies are often not consciously thought out, they are invisibly imposed to reinforce power relations and social structures.

And all this, is because of the importance of ideologies in anyone's life.
Their role is to:

• give meaning to life
• provide adherents with criteria or standards for evaluating right-wrong and/or good-bad
• provide an identity and orient people with a social and cultural compass
• provide with a program of action ("what is to be done?")

The German philosopher, Karl Marx, suggested in his 1848 work called The Communist Manifesto, that, ideologies arise in class divided societies, for the express purpose of political domination.

He said: "the class that has the means of material production at its disposal, consequently controls the means of the mental production. and this control that he is talking about, can and in most cases will, slowly lead to hegemony, which is "leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others" (Oxford Dictionary). But this is an entirely different subject, and I will probably approach this in a different post.

I will end this post with the famous quote from the human rights activist, Malcolm X. He once said: "Knowledge is power". And this is a very strong statement. Who has the knowledge, will be able to cease power and control in a good or bad way the masses. This is, in my opinion, what ideologies are based on: one person/group convincing and converting others to a certain way of thinking, believing and behaving, by providing them with real (or not) arguments. I had to say "or not" as well, because some ideologies are based on pure invented facts, meant to respond to some peoples utopian dreams.